Archive for October 2014

i’m loving the new social media site batteryPOP. imagine a cross between youtube, fb and netflix. the free site allows youth to watch original programs and rate their favs. you can follow a show you like best and shout out to your friends the episodes you’ve been watching. one of my favs is a show called ‘girl and robot’ check it out and let us know what you think…

at sassysagesays we often highlight girls/women who are doing amazing things. so we had to give a shout out to 22 year old fatu kekula!

fatu is a nursing student in liberia, who sprung into action when several of her family members caught ebola. thinking on her feet, she patched together supplies; even using trash bags as her protective gear. not only did she save her family members but she also never caught ebola herself!

we honor your strength and courage fatu.

you believed enough in your passion for nursing and showed the world that no tiny virus is a match for a smart girl on the move.

it had me questioning how we/i decide what is beautiful and who’s standard i/we use to determine what is hot and what is not.

as i walked through the exhibit performances i stubbled upon the #damnilookgood installation. Qinza Najm and Saks Afridi, two Pakistani-American artists, created the piece that encouraged passersby to try on Muslim veils and re-imagine the experience as empowering.

it was a hot day; so i sat in sweat with the veil on waiting for my photo to be taken. the veil was tight and uncomfortable. in that moment i wasn’t convinced.

it wasn’t until the next day after seeing jlo and izzy’s booty video that i realized veiled or half-naked; SELF-DEFINED beauty is the only way to achieve true power.

i can’t judge women from other cultures that choose to be covered from head to toe. and i shouldn’t judge those who prefer to wear a lot less (though twitter has certainly chosen to judge the jlo video).

what we should judge is WHY are we making those choices.

without the pressure from family; without standards to adhere to by faith; without the constant media images (and scandalous videos); without ads selling best beauty (booty) ‘secrets’. without it all; if we really were free to just be our naturally beautiful selves…what choices would we make?

i have no answer.

for me just asking the question takes my beauty to whole ‘nother level…